DUBAI, 6 November 2021 – Female architects Q&A: Monika Löve, Project Manager/Senior Architect, Carlo Ratti Associati, Italy Pavilion
Expo 2020 Dubai’s Urban & Rural Development Week, which runs from 31 October to 6 November, examines how we can live and grow in harmony with our planet – including events dissecting how gender plays a role in this.
A number of the talented female architects behind some of the most spectacular Country Pavilions across the Expo site give their thoughts on the future of architecture from a female perspective and explain their careers and work designing these incredible structures.
One of the elements explored during Urban & Rural Development Week will be how the majority of cities around the world have been designed by men, but how female architects might change how our cities are built. What do you foresee for the future from that perspective?
I believe that cities require a multifocal perspective. This means that a choral work is needed, regardless of any distinctions. Blurring boundaries between different cultures, backgrounds and disciplines is a key aspect to tackle important issues of contemporary cities such as accessibility, inclusivity and wellbeing.
As a female architect, do you feel that you bring a different perspective to the project than a male architect might? And in terms of Italian architecture, is the gender balance still quite male-centric?
I believe in the value of diversity at all levels, particularly in architecture. For me, it is less about gender balance and more about bringing together people from different cultures and disciplines – from interaction designers to prototyping specialists, as we try to do at Carlo Ratti Associati. If we are able to create this varied, collaborative mix, we end up with a much more stimulating team than if we were to just stick to a specific profession or gender.
How do you think the impacts of COVID will affect how we design and create our buildings in the future?
Observing cities in history, their form has never been affected by dramatic changes as much as the way we live. Rather than the hardware, I think the main changes concern the software. I believe that the COVID crisis has changed values and expectations towards cities, while reclaiming more public spaces and a better integration between nature and the built environment. New technologies follow a parallel growth as we tend to improve the quality of our lives: at some point, these changes will converge in the long-term.
Can you tell us about your own journey in architecture so far – your inspirations, how you came into the profession and your previous projects?
Initially trained in Estonia, I found myself working on various projects through all stages of design and construction at an early age. Estonia is quite an unusual place because it’s a very small country and it’s common for architects to see their designs built when young. Yet it is less common to question why they do it or what they’re trying to improve with their work. For this reason, I decided to continue my studies in the Netherlands, where I completed a master’s in social design, exploring precisely what I felt was missing, that is why we design and who we design for. Soon after, I moved to London for work and continued to explore my curiosity in another postgraduate programme at the Center for Research Architecture. I find both research and the act of questioning very interesting, and this has led me to the work of Carlo Ratti. For the past seven years, I’ve been working at his studio in Turin, Italy. At CRA-Carlo Ratti Associati, we work on projects of varied scale, but I find large-scale ones particularly inspiring, especially the way they challenge how we think about ourselves and our environment. An example of a similar project is the CapitaSpring Tower in Singapore, which CRA designed jointly with BIG-Bjarke Ingels Group and for which we tried to imagine what the future of work would look like. The Italian Pavilion for Expo 2020 Dubai is a similarly challenging – and at the same time exciting – project, as we set out to design a reconfigurable piece of architecture that would live on for longer than the duration of the event; something more circular.
Can you explain how Italy and the theme of the pavilion inspired your design?
Italy, unlike other countries, is made up of many medium-sized cities that are known for a particular industry. For this reason, our team was inspired by ideas and materials from the country as a whole rather than focusing on a specific region. This approach brought us to the notion of circularity I briefly mentioned earlier, which is at the very core of the pavilion. We adopted a long-term, systemic viewpoint rather than a short-term, fragmented one, and we embraced the idea of designing an experience that would integrate sustainable materials and circular economy principles. Hence, when discussing the pavilion’s façade, for instance, we evaluated the benefits and downsides of different construction materials. Ultimately, the pavilion is exposed to the atmosphere, using natural climate control strategies instead of standard air conditioning. The façade is made of LED curtains and recycled nautical ropes that transform the pavilion into a performance or installation rather than an environment within four walls.
Do you feel the design fits in the mould of contemporary architecture or is the result of blending multiple philosophies (e.g. post-modern, biomorphic, etc)?
It’s a blending of multiple philosophies and multiple professions. Architecture is one of those fields where we continuously aim to improve our environment and our lifestyle, so it can’t be just about one philosophy or one profession. I think the best projects come from cross-disciplinary and culturally diverse approaches.
What does the pavilion mean to you? What are you most proud of in the design?
I’m particularly proud of the thinking process that gave the pavilion its shape. It was exactly that: a process rather than a final design, from the sourcing of each material to the conversation about the experience and afterlife of the pavilion. Nothing goes to waste; instead, the pavilion is reimagined and reclaimed.
Have you visited the pavilion yet?
I still haven’t had the chance to visit the built pavilion, but I’m glad to see it has already been visited by [many] Expo visitors. In general, it is a great relief to see that such a huge event has been possible after the global pandemic: it is a great chance to rethink the future of temporary architecture and international events with a new perspective. The Italy Pavilion, for instance, is conceived with a circular approach: it has been built using recycled and natural materials as building elements, and all components will be reused after the event.
What do you hope to achieve from having your work showcased on such a global stage?
I am curious about the way people from different backgrounds will interact with and experience the pavilion on such a global stage. My hope is that the pavilion will facilitate a much-needed conversation on how to approach the design of structures and installations at World Expos, taking into consideration their impact and their ongoing relationship with the area in which they are located.
If you could work with an architect from any era, past or present, who would it be?
Rather than an architect, going back to what I was saying before, I would love to work with someone who has a completely different background from mine – a sociologist or maybe a scientist – to get a different experience and perspective. I would be very curious to see what would happen were I to work with Charles Darwin, for instance. At the core, I believe the way we think about contemporary architecture needs to integrate rather than segregate disciplines – the more diverse, the better.
The Italy Pavilion is located in Al Forsan.